Paris trip report

I put this list of places she recommended in my phone:

Au Pied de Fouet, 6, 7, 11, classic bistro
Benoit, 4, classic bistro
Brasserie Balzar, 5, open all day
Breizh Cafe, 3, galettes
Cafe Craft, 10, coffee
Chez Andre, 8, daily noon - 1 am
Chez Denise, 1, M-F until 5am
Chez René, 5, ultra-traditional bistro
Comptoir Poilane, 3
KB Cafeshop, 9, coffee
Lazare, 8, brasserie
L’Epicurise, 15, lievre a la royale
Les Botanistes, 7, clapotins (sheep’s trotters)
Minipalais, 8, open all day, rooftop terrace
Philou, 10
Septime La Cave, 11, wine bar
Ten Belles, 10, coffee
Terroir Parisien, 5, salade frisée
Vivant Table, 10, Racines guy’s new wine bar

You’re there for a month? Are you in an apartment? I can’t imagine not cooking in a place like Paris…for a MONTH!!!

But won’t you have a computer? Color me confused.

Yes, a month. We’ve done this before in Florence, Hawaii & Provence (Vaison la Romaine). Retirement has its advantages & a month’s rent isn’t really more than 10 days in a hotel, while round trip airfare is the same either way. We’ve rented an apartment on the edge of the Marais that borders the 11th. And we’ll probably do some cooking, although anyone who knows us in NYC knows that this is a pretty infrequent event. We have several old CH friends there to join for dinner & we’ll try to get another lunch or two in with John Talbott as well. As for computers, the answer is also yes. Two iPhones & 2 iPads come with us and the apt. has wi-fi. Sorry for the confusion… I was only asking Robert about whether he had used a specific app (Patricia Wells) when there (before I decided whether or not to download it myself).

Ah, thanks. Certainly if you rarely cook at home then… I’m almost crazy(er) if I can’t cook for 10 days.

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Went to Pharamond for dinner on our first jet-lagged day. It’s an historical monument for it’s amazing Art Nouveau decor, but it was 80° F so we sat outside. It was originally Breton but there are only hints of that today, I’ll have to go elsewhere for my scallops with coral.

Drank carafe wines, €4.90 / 25 cl. Var rosé was very nice. d’Oc IGP Sauvignon was not bad.

Rilletes de sardines was classic. Bread was pretty good, above the low standard of Paris restaurants.

Leeks were eccentric, the vinaigrette was made with pommée, a sweet-sour apple condiment vaguely similar to balsamic. Little sweet for my taste.

Cold sliced roast beef with tartar sauce, both quite good, fries were just OK, got limp fast. But it was a little hot to eat many fries.

Brandade was basically mashed potatoes seasoned with smoked haddock. Very tasty.

Trou normand is normally just a shot of Calvados, but this was poured over a green apple sorbet. Very refreshing.

Ile flottant was classic, delicious.

When we sat down at 7 o’clock there were plenty of tables, but by the time we left there was this line down the block. Hardly surprising given the amazingly high QPR. That whole meal with three 25ml carafes of wine was $55.17 including tax.

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Went to our old favorite Le Bistrot du Dôme, not to be confused with its grand sibling Le Dôme or the completely unrelated Bistrot le Dôme.

squid

crab

St. Pierre (John Dory) with some kind of oyster mushrooms

skate wing with capers

baba

mille-feuille: flaky pastry filled with a mix of pastry cream and whipped cream

$165.50 total including four glasses of wine. Not cheap but way less than you’d have to pay for a meal like this in California, assuming you could even find such a thing.

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Decoration from their fish shop across the street.

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I had that exact thought when we were in Paris and south recently.

Bouillion Republique, a little after 11 pm on Tuesday. Went because it was close, had a lot of choices, and was open until midnight, thanks, jet lag.

Ate one of the three before I remembered to take a picture. Classic.

Artichoke was a bit bland and underseasoned, but good.

Cream of mushroom soup, classic.

Ravioli were rich and the portion was huge. No room for dessert.

Ratatouille was great, could have passed for my own homemade.

Service was professional and friendly. How the hell do they do it at those prices? Not by skimping on ingredients.

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